Recreational apparatus

ABSTRACT

A stroke developing apparatus in which a tethered object is supported from a shaft rotatable on an inclined axis so that the weight of the object will return it to a position of rest by gravity, and in which provision is made for limiting the rotation of the shaft to less than a complete rotation and cushioning the rotation of the shaft in one direction when the object has been subjected to impact and for controlling the rate of return of the object by gravity toward the rest position.

United States Patent THIS END OF ARM ROTATED 90' FOR CLARITY Salmont 1 51 Feb. 26, 1974 [54] RECREATIONAL APPARATUS FOREIGN PATENTS 0 13 APPLICATIONS 1 lnvemorl Gustave? m 916 Greentree 523,858 4/1956 Canada fi 273 200 B Rd., Pac1fic alis Calif- 90272 725,556 2/1932 France 273/20013 22 Filed: June 17, 1971 Primary ExaminerRichard'C. Pinkham [2]] Appl' 9 1544,03 Assistant ExaminerTheatrice Brown A Attorney, Agent, orFirm- Kendrick & Subkow; Paul [52] U.S. Cl. 273/29 A, 273/26 R, 273/1 B L. Gardner [51] 'Int. Cl A63b 69/40 [58] Field of Search... 273/26, 181 J, 185 D, 200 B, [57] ABSTRACT A stroke developmg apparatus 1n which a tethered ob- [56] References Cited ject is supported from a shaft rotatable on an inclined UNITED STATES PATENTS axis so that the weight of the object will return it to a position of rest by gravity, and in which provision is gk 7 5 made for limiting the rotation of the shaft to less than I 3'6630I8 v 5/1972 1%;; a complete rotation and cushioning the rotation of the 3455552 7/1969 a' 273/26 E shaft in one direction when the object has been sub- 2,818:255 12/1957 Ponza..; 273/26 E l'ected to impact and for Controlling the rate of return 0 2,272,765 2 1942 Beeson et al. 273 29 A of the object by gravity toward the rest position.

2,578,3l3 12/195] Moseley 273/26 R 16 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDFEBZBESN SHEET 1 [1F 2 OLA //V VE/V TOR.

GUSTAVE H- SALMONT hi s ATTORNEYS PATENTED 3.794.320-

' sum '2 BF 2 INVENTOR. GUSTAVE H. SALMONT his ATTORNEYS tus for tennis, baseball, hockey or the like in which a tethered object can be struck, its flight limited in one shaft 15, and the shaft 18 can be locked at the proper height by a locking screw 19.

direction and controlled in the opposite direction as it tion of rest by gravity. The object can be struck at rest or in flight, and upon impact the rotation of the shaft is controlled and limited so that it travels in an are through part of .a revolution and then returns toward the position of rest at a controlled rate of travel.

ln a preferred embodiment of the present invention the rotatable supporting shaft is cushioned, limited and returned at a controlled rate by a spring-loaded piston and cylinder which limits and controls the flight of the object after impact, and with the help of the force of gravity controls the rate of return of the object to its position of rest.

The stroke practicing-apparatus of the present invention is embodied in a light-weight, compact design which permits it to be used ina confinedspace. The

tether which supports the object to be struck, in its preferred embodiment, is flexible to absorbimpact and is shaped and designed so that only the object is presented to the stroke of the player. Thus, it is easy to strike the object without hitting or'damaging the apparatus;

A special feature of the preferred embodiment of the stroke developing apparatus of the present invention is that by a very simple adjustment the apparatus selfadapts itself for use by either a righthanded or a lefthanded player or, in the case of tennis, for practicing either forearm or backarm strokes.

For a complete understanding of the present invention reference can be'made'to the detailed description which follows and to the accompanying drawings, in which: j

FIG. 1 is an elevational view in cross-section of the and FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the apparatus in different positions of operation.

The stroke developing apparatus of the present invention includes ahousing, l0 mounted to the ground orfloor by suitable mounting means 11 and 12. The mounting means illustrated by the reference numeral 11 is an anchor bolt which can be embedded in wood, concrete or the like. The mounting means illustrated by the reference numeral 12 is a suction cup which may be suitable for non-permanent, relatively smooth surfaces.

The housing 10, as shown, is of frustroconical shape weighted at the bottom by a heavy material 13. The weighting material can be eliminated where the housing can be securely mounted.

An inclined vertical shaft 15 extends upwardly from one inclined side of a supporting plate 14 through and above the upper end of the housing, and this shaft is supported for rotation by upper and lower bearings 16 and 17, respectively. An extension shaft 18 is accommodated in telescoping relationship within the hollow stroke developing apparatus of the present invention;

The upper end of the extension shaft 18 carries a curved, radially extending resilient arm 20 having a ball 21 or other object to be struck at the outer end thereof. The inner end of the arm 20 is connected to the bifurcated upper end of the shaft 18 by a removable pin 22. The arm 20 is supported on the pin by an adjustable nut 23 threaded on the bifurcated upper end of the shaft.

The adjustment of the nut on the shaft pivotally raises or lowers the arm, thereby providing an adjustment of the height of the, objectv supported at the end of, the arm. In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the arm carries a tennis ball, and the arm is shown rotated 90 in the direction indicated by the arrow for clarity. The arm may also carry a baseball, golf ball, hockey puck or any other object for which the apparatus is intended to provide practice.

The rotation of the shaft 15 and the ball carrying arm 20 is limited and controlled by a pneumatic spring loaded piston and cylinder device generally designated by the reference numeral 24. The cylinder 24a is pivotally connected at'one endto the inclined side of the supporting plate 14 opposite the'side on which the vertical shaft 15 is supported. The movable piston 24b is connected to an arm 25 carried by the shaft 15. The end of the cylinder contains an adjustable bleed valve 26 which controls the flow of air therethrough, thereby controlling the rate'of travel of the ball on impact and return. 7 I j i The ball in the normal position shown in FIG. 2 for forehand practice by a righthanded player falls to its position of rest by gravity. When the ,ball is struck the shaft 15 will rotate, carrying the ball in an arc of approximately 180. The impact is absorbed in part by the arm 20, but principally by the spring cushioned pneumatic device '24 which limits the arc of travel of the ball. The energy absorbed by the springand the force of gravity control the rate of return ofthe ball, and the ball can be struck again during the return or it can be struck from its position of rest.

. The stroke developing apparatus can be converted for backhand practice by a righthanded player or for forehand practice by a lefthanded player by pivoting the arm 20 on the pin'2 2 180 as'shown in FIG. 3 so that the ball will return 180 to the position of rest shown 'in solid lines in FlG. 4. Toward this end, the arm 25 preferably extends eccentrically from the axis of the shaft on the side opposite the direction in which the object is to be struck. For example, in FIG. 2 both the eccentric arm 25 and the curved arm 20 extend toward the player and opposite the direction in which the ball is to be struck. When the :arm 20'is reversed as shown in FIGS, gravity will carry the ball and the shaft to a new rest position shown in FIG. 4, in' which the arm 25 and the piston and cylinder device self-adjust themselves over-center in the other direction. The ball is now inposition to be struck from the opposite direction. The shaft 15 will" rotate in the opposite direction upon impact, and thepneumatic cushioning device will' to be limited to any specified form except insofar as such limitations are expressly set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. A recreational apparatus comprising an inclined rotatable shaft having 'a longitudinal axis, retaining means attached to and extending from said shaft, an object to be struck connected to said retaining means, means mounting said shaft for rotation about its said axis so that said object will return to a position of rest by gravity under the influence of its own weight, means for limiting the rotation of the shaft to an arc of less than approximately 180 whereby said object, when struck, will be impelled along an upwardly inclined arc to a position spaced from said position of rest and, thereafter, said object will return toward said position of rest along a downwardly inclined arc, and cushioning means for cushioning return movement of said shaft as said shaft returns toward said position of rest.

2. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the limiting and cushioning means include rela tively movable piston and cylinder elements, one of the elements being anchored to a relatively fixed structure and the other connected eccentrically to the shaft on the side opposite the direction in which the object is to be struck, whereby the rotation of the shaft produces relative movement between the piston and cylinder in one direction during the initial part of the flight of the object and then in the opposite direction as the object approaches the limit of its flight.

3. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including an adjustable bleeder valve in the cylinder for adjusting the cushioning effects thereof.

4. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said retaining means comprises an arm extending outwardly from said axis of rotation of the shaft; said arm having an outer end; said object being mounted on said outer end of said arm; and further comprising means for repositioning the arm relative to the shaft so that the weight of the object will carry said object in a direction opposite to said one direction to a position of rest and move the eccentric connection to the opposite side of the position of rest of the object so that the object can be struck in the opposite direction.

5. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which the outer end of the arm extends at an angle relative to the remainder of the arm to support the object at a position which facilitates striking the object.

6. A recreational apparatus asset forth in claim 4 in which the arm is made of a resilient material to absorb part of the impact.

7. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for limiting the rotation of the shaft includes resilient means acting on the shaft for cushioning the rotation of the shaft as said shaft reaches the limit of its rotation and for initially accelerating the return rotation of said shaft.

8. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising means for adjusting the height of said object.

9 A recreational device comprising: a rotatable support member; retaining means connected to said support member and adapted to retain an object to be struck; said rotatable support member mounting said retaining means for movement in a first direction through an are which lies in an upwardly inclined plane;'and means for limiting rotational movement of said support member in said first direction to an arc of 4 less than approximately whereby said objectretaining means will return in a direction opposite to said first direction to an initial starting area after such object has been struck and impelled along said are to a position spaced from said initial starting area; said means for limiting rotational movement of said support member including resilient means operatively associated with said support member and operative in response to rotational movement of said support member in said first direction through a significant, predetermined arc to resist further rotational movement of said support member in said first direction, and means rendering said resilient means ineffective to resist rotational movement of said support member until said support member has moved through said significant, predetermined arc.

l0. A recreational device comprising: an inclined support member having a longitudinal axis; means for mounting said inclined support member for rotational movement about its said longitudinal axis; objectretaining means connected to said support member; an object to be struck attached to said retaining means in spaced relation to said longitudinal axis of said support member; said object having an initial position of rest; and means for limiting rotational movement of said inclined support member to an arc of less than about 180; whereby said object, when struck and impelled in a first direction to a position spaced from its said initial position, will return to its said initial position of rest, through a direction opposite to said first direction, under the influence of gravity.

11. A recreational device comprising: a base member having a fixed structure thereon; an inclined support shaft having a longitudinal axis, an upper end and a lower-end; said lower end of said support shaft being mounted in said fixed structure of said base member for rotational movement about its said longitudinal axis;

means located between said upper and lower ends of said support shaft for confining movement of said shaft to rotational movement about said longitudinal axis of said shaft; object retaining means connected to said support shaft; an object to be struck attached to said retaining means in spaced relation to saidlongitudinal axis of said support member, said object having an initial position of rest; and means for limiting rotational movement of said support shaft to an arc of less than about 180; whereby said object, when struck and impelled in a first direction to a position spaced from its said initial position, will return to its said initial position of rest, through a direction opposite to said first direction, under the influence of gravity.

12. In a recreational device having a base member, an elongated support shaft mounted in said base for rotational movement about its longitudinal axis; and means adapted to support an object-to-be-struck at positions spaced from said longitudinal axis of said support shaft, the improvement comprising: a piston-andcylinder unit connected between said support shaft and a fixed structure on said base member; said piston-andcylinder unit comprising a cylinder, a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder and a spring disposed between said piston and one end of said cylinder.

13. A recreational device comprising: a base member; a generally upstanding support member having a longitudinal axis; means mounting said support member in said base member for rotation about its said longitudinal axis; object-retaining means connected to said support shaft and spaced radially from said longitudinal axis thereof for retaining an object-to-be-struck; spring means operatively associated with said support member and operative in response to rotational movement of said support shaft in one direction through a predetermined are for resiliently resisting further rotational movement of said support member in said one direction and for urging said support member to rotate in the opposite direction; and cushioning means comprising a cylinder having a fluid chamber and a piston slidably disposed in said chamber, one of said piston or said cylinder being connected to said support member and the other of said piston or said cylinder being connected to said base member.

14. A recreational device according to claim 13 wherein said spring means comprises a spring disposed in said cylinder adjacent one face of said piston.

15. A recreational device comprising: an inclined support member having an inclined longitudinal axis; said inclined support member having an upper end; a generally radially extending arm having an inner end pivotably connected to said upper end of said support member for permitting pivotal movement of said arm in a substantially vertical plane; said arm having an outer end spaced radially from its said inner end; an object mounted on said outer end of said arm; said arm being bent at a point intermediate said inner and outer ends thereof to maintain said object at a position which facilitates striking of said object without striking said port shaft in said base, whereby said support shaft may rotate about its said inclined, longitudinal axis;

a generally radially extending arm having in inner end connected to said upper end of said support shaft, and an outer end spaced radially outwardly from its said inner end;

an object-to-be-struck mounted on said'outer end of said arm;

and a psiton-and-cylinder unit connected between said base member and said rotatable support shaft for limiting and cushioning rotational movement of said rotatable shaft when said object has been struck to cause rotation of said shaft; said pistonand-cylinder unit including a spring member disposed between said piston and one end of said cylinder for resiliently cushioning rotational movement of said support shaft when said piston approaches said one end of said cylinder and for initiating rotational movement of said support shaft in the opposite direction. 

1. A recreational apparatus comprising an inclined rotatable shaft having a longitudinal axis, retaining means attached to and extending from said shaft, an object to be struck connected to said retaining means, means mounting said shaft for rotation about its said axis so that said object will return to a position of rest by gravity under the influence of its own weight, means for limiting the rotation of the shaft to an arc of less than approximately 180* whereby said object, when struck, will be impelled along an upwardly inclined arc to a position spaced from said position of rest and, thereafter, said object will return toward said position of rest along a downwardly inclined arc, and cushioning means for cushioning return movement of said shaft as said shaft returns toward said position of rest.
 2. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the limiting and cushioning means include relatively movable piston and cylinder elements, one of the elements being anchored to a relatively fixed structure and the other connected eccentrically to the shaft on the side opposite the direction in which the object is to be struck, whereby the rotation of the shaft produces relative movement between the piston and cylinder in one direction during the initial part of the flight of the object and then in the opposite direction as the object approaches the limit of its flight.
 3. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including an adjustable bleeder valve in the cylinder for adjusting the cushioning effects thereof.
 4. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said retaining means comprises an arm extending outwardly from said axis of rotation of the shaft; said arm having an outer end; said object being mounted on said outer end of said arm; and further comprising means for repositioning the arm relative to the shaft so that the weight of the object will carry said object in a direction opposite to said one direction to a position of rest and move the eccentric connection to the opposite side of the position of rest of the object so that the object can be struck in the opposite direction.
 5. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which the outer end of the arm extends at an angle relative to the remainder of the arm to support the object at a position which facilitates striking the object.
 6. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which the arm is made of a resilient material to absorb part of the impact.
 7. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for limiting the rotation of the shaft includes resilient means acting on the shaft for cushioning the rotation of the shaft as said shaft reaches the limit of its rotation and for initially accelerating the return rotation of said shaft.
 8. A recreational apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising means for adjusting the height of said object.
 9. A recreational device comprising: a rotatable support member; retaining means connected to said support member and adapted to retain an object to be struck; said rotatable support member mounting said retaining means for movement in a first direction through an arc which lies in an upwardly inclined plane; and means for limiting rotational movement of said support member in said first direction to an arc of less than approximately 180*; whereby said object-retaining means will return in a direction opposite to said first direction to an initial starting area after such object has been struck and impelled along said arc to a position spaced from said initial starting area; said means for limiting rotational movement of said support member including resilient means operatively associated with said support member and operative in response to rotational movement of said support member in said first direction through a significant, predetermined arc to resist further rotational movement of said suppOrt member in said first direction, and means rendering said resilient means ineffective to resist rotational movement of said support member until said support member has moved through said significant, predetermined arc.
 10. A recreational device comprising: an inclined support member having a longitudinal axis; means for mounting said inclined support member for rotational movement about its said longitudinal axis; object-retaining means connected to said support member; an object to be struck attached to said retaining means in spaced relation to said longitudinal axis of said support member; said object having an initial position of rest; and means for limiting rotational movement of said inclined support member to an arc of less than about 180*; whereby said object, when struck and impelled in a first direction to a position spaced from its said initial position, will return to its said initial position of rest, through a direction opposite to said first direction, under the influence of gravity.
 11. A recreational device comprising: a base member having a fixed structure thereon; an inclined support shaft having a longitudinal axis, an upper end and a lower end; said lower end of said support shaft being mounted in said fixed structure of said base member for rotational movement about its said longitudinal axis; means located between said upper and lower ends of said support shaft for confining movement of said shaft to rotational movement about said longitudinal axis of said shaft; object retaining means connected to said support shaft; an object to be struck attached to said retaining means in spaced relation to said longitudinal axis of said support member, said object having an initial position of rest; and means for limiting rotational movement of said support shaft to an arc of less than about 180*; whereby said object, when struck and impelled in a first direction to a position spaced from its said initial position, will return to its said initial position of rest, through a direction opposite to said first direction, under the influence of gravity.
 12. In a recreational device having a base member, an elongated support shaft mounted in said base for rotational movement about its longitudinal axis; and means adapted to support an object-to-be-struck at positions spaced from said longitudinal axis of said support shaft, the improvement comprising: a piston-and-cylinder unit connected between said support shaft and a fixed structure on said base member; said piston-and-cylinder unit comprising a cylinder, a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder and a spring disposed between said piston and one end of said cylinder.
 13. A recreational device comprising: a base member; a generally upstanding support member having a longitudinal axis; means mounting said support member in said base member for rotation about its said longitudinal axis; object-retaining means connected to said support shaft and spaced radially from said longitudinal axis thereof for retaining an object-to-be-struck; spring means operatively associated with said support member and operative in response to rotational movement of said support shaft in one direction through a predetermined arc for resiliently resisting further rotational movement of said support member in said one direction and for urging said support member to rotate in the opposite direction; and cushioning means comprising a cylinder having a fluid chamber and a piston slidably disposed in said chamber, one of said piston or said cylinder being connected to said support member and the other of said piston or said cylinder being connected to said base member.
 14. A recreational device according to claim 13 wherein said spring means comprises a spring disposed in said cylinder adjacent one face of said piston.
 15. A recreational device comprising: an inclined support member having an inclined longitudinal axis; said inclined support member having an upper end; a generally radially extending aRm having an inner end pivotably connected to said upper end of said support member for permitting pivotal movement of said arm in a substantially vertical plane; said arm having an outer end spaced radially from its said inner end; an object mounted on said outer end of said arm; said arm being bent at a point intermediate said inner and outer ends thereof to maintain said object at a position which facilitates striking of said object without striking said arm.
 16. A recreational device of the type which supports an object in a position in which it may be struck by a player, comprising: a base member; an upstanding support shaft having an upper end, a lower end, and an inclined longitudinal axis; means rotatably mounting said lower end of said support shaft in said base, whereby said support shaft may rotate about its said inclined, longitudinal axis; a generally radially extending arm having in inner end connected to said upper end of said support shaft, and an outer end spaced radially outwardly from its said inner end; an object-to-be-struck mounted on said outer end of said arm; and a psiton-and-cylinder unit connected between said base member and said rotatable support shaft for limiting and cushioning rotational movement of said rotatable shaft when said object has been struck to cause rotation of said shaft; said piston-and-cylinder unit including a spring member disposed between said piston and one end of said cylinder for resiliently cushioning rotational movement of said support shaft when said piston approaches said one end of said cylinder and for initiating rotational movement of said support shaft in the opposite direction. 